Owen of Jesslaw and the Chamber of Secrets
by akaiciel
Summary: Kel deals with the aftermath of Owen's Ordeal. One-shot, written in response to the Seanfhocal "Homecomings" Challenge on The Dancing Dove.


A/N: Written for the Seanfhocal Challenge at The Dancing Dove on the theme of "Homecomings". Slightly oblique approach to the theme, and absolutely nothing to do with Harry Potter, but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway. All comments and critiques welcome - they'll be handy in the meatier Owen stories I have planned for the future! (Guess who Akai's favourite character is?)  
  
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Owen of Jesslaw and the Chamber of Secrets  
  
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"Sir Owen of Jesslaw!"  
  
There was a cheer. Applause. Men and women banging their goblets on the tables.  
  
Kel couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more.  
  
Owen had stumbled out of the Chamber with an expression of anguish that Kel hoped never to see on him again. Much to the surprise of those who didn't know him, he had made it through the Ordeal without making a sound - only to fall to his knees the moment he exited, raising a shaking arm to try and hide his crumpled face.  
  
The recovered ability to make a sound had been too much to bear; wrenching sobs that no arm could hide had torn at Kel's soul as she tried to hold her heart together.  
  
Now he sat amongst them, smiling weakly and paler than Kel had ever seen him. He looked drained, even from a distance, thoroughly exhausted.  
  
But - contrary to palace rumour - he was alive.  
  
Kel was almost afraid to speak to Owen again. His reaction after the Ordeal - that wasn't the result of a mind with no fears. He'd always been so eager to fight, so carefree even in the midst of battle... What if that was gone now? What if facing up to his fears had forced him into an awareness of them that he'd never had before? What if they had all lost something when Owen entered the Chamber of the Ordeal?  
  
"Can I sit here?"  
  
Kel nodded wordlessly, her Yamani mask firmly in place as Owen slid into the seat beside her. He glanced at her face and frowned. "What's the matter? Why are you upset?"  
  
"I'm not upset," Kel said automatically, wondering what possible cause he had to suspect otherwise.  
  
"Then why are you doing that thing with your face?"  
  
She gave him a puzzled smile. "What thing?"  
  
"That thing where you shove all the expression out of it. You do it all the time when you're upset about something. So, what's wrong?"  
  
Owen had just been through the Chamber of the Ordeal, received apparently devastating emotional damage - and he was asking Kel what was wrong. She let the Yamani mask drop and laughed.  
  
Owen laughed with her; sharing the joke was unimportant. "Well, glad it's nothing serious!" he said cheerfully, smacking her on the back. "You looked like someone had died over here!"  
  
Kel shook her head. "No. Nothing like that." Thank the gods...  
  
He hadn't changed. He was still the same Owen he'd ever been. She searched for the words to tell him how relieved she was.  
  
"You were worried about me, weren't you?"  
  
Kel's first instinct was to deny everything; her second was to reach out and touch him. She compromised by nodding.  
  
He grinned, teeth as slightly out of place as ever. "They said you looked a bit upset." Before Kel could demand who had said this, he continued. "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to fall to pieces like that, but." He shrugged. "You know how it is."  
  
Kel nodded; she did indeed. "I expected you to fall to pieces," she said carefully, measuring every word before it was spoken, "But I wasn't sure if you'd be able to put yourself back together again."  
  
Owen looked startled. Kel suddenly felt extremely awkward.  
  
"I'm fine, Kel," he said eventually. "I thought the same as you for a while, but you know what they say about Jesslaw men: they bounce."  
  
He smiled tentatively, and Kel found herself joining him - despite being unable to shake the words "Jesslaw men" from her head. "I'm glad you did," she said, trying not to sound as relieved as she felt. "I didn't mean to lose you today."  
  
She hadn't meant to be that honest either - but it didn't matter a bit. Owen simply looked pleased and whispered, "Thanks, Kel."  
  
Feeling more awkward than ever, Kel looked away. She tapped the fingers of one hand nervously on her leg, wishing Owen would just go and terrorise someone else.  
  
She jumped to feel another hand close around her own, forcing the tapping to stop. She looked up to see Owen smiling warmly at her. "I'm not lost. I'm finally a knight and an adult, a real man of Jesslaw. I don't think I've ever been more found." Gently, he let go of her hand.  
  
Kel wished he wouldn't.  
  
"So, Sir Owen," she said playfully, hoping he wouldn't notice her slight blush, "What's the first thing on your agenda now that you're a knight of the realm?"  
  
Owen grinned broadly. "Hunting bandits, of course, just like I'd always planned!"  
  
As Kel waited for the invitation to join him that she knew would follow, she found herself seriously considering it for the first time. The Chamber had shown a side of Owen that she - like many others - had never realised existed. To learn more about him at this point would make any journey worthwhile, and who knew what else she might find along the way?  
  
"Hang on, here's an idea! Kel, why don't you come with me?"  
  
Kel smiled. 


End file.
